John Lennon of Beatles fame is reported to have said, “Life is what happens while you are making other plans.” In general, that seems to be true. We spend a lot more time planning what we will do than we spend doing it. And very few things go exactly as planned.
That automatically entails more planning. And, of course, once the new plan is viewed and evaluated, more planning becomes necessary. Two steps forward, one step back, is the way progress tends to be measured.
If you have seen any of the movies about life in previous centuries you know that human progress has never been easy. Our ancestors knew that better than we do. Sailing vessels needed the wind to move, so the only way they could move in a different direction from where the wind was blowing was by “tacking.” They would have to go first in one direction, and then change directions, moving in a “zig-zag” fashion.
As long as vessels were powered by the wind, tacking was the only way to go in a direction that the wind wasn’t blowing. We tend to forget how much “tacking” has been has been required to get humanity where we have wanted to go (even when we could agree on where we wanted to go).
When you change plans to better attain a goal, you are essentially “tacking.” In general, you have to focus on your desired objective while you “tack” in different directions even while keeping your ultimate objective in mind. If you don’t have a goal in mind, you end up going wherever the wind takes you.
Tacking requires staying focused on a goal even while you change directions from time to time. And sometimes, of course, changing directions leads to finding a completely new direction that will lead to even greater progress.
Is what you are currently doing leading you in the right direction and giving you what you want? If not, there’s nothing “tacky” about “tacking.” Change directions. That is, after all, the way our European ancestors found the “New World” that led to the creation of Canada and the United States.
In general, when you are “stuck,” do some “tacking” and change directions. See what new worlds you might be able to find. Two steps forward, and one step back is a perfectly good way to make progress, isn’t it….